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 Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:58 pm
The future was definitely something that Gabriel was nervous about.
Considering his life -being raised by a man who didn't have the ability or the money to care for himself, let alone the twins- he wanted to be able to have a better life for himself and, well, Ilyrosa, if she would have him. On top of that, he wanted to be able to get her whatever she wanted and to be able to give her a beautiful and amazing wedding; the kind that you heard about on the news. There was only one problem...
He wasn't good at anything.
At least, not at anything important. He could sing, but he couldn't read or write; so he couldn't be in any kind of band. He couldn't read music, couldn't play any instruments... he couldn't think of anything he could actually do without being able to read, and he barely had any kind of natural talent. It wasn't something that he wanted to admit, but he had no other option at this point... Of course, there was one thing that he'd thought of.
The preteen was waiting patiently ( was there any other way he could wait? ) on a park bench, in the middle of the night, bundled in quite a few layers of his less-than-great clothing. The man he had contacted a few days before had requested that they meet here, and that it be at night. Despite a few suspicions, Gabriel had no reason not to give him this luxury, but had to wait until a day he hadn't been working, lest he end up asleep. So, here he was, waiting in a cold park as sleet started to flutter from the clouds.
...great.
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:17 pm
The aforementioned man was busy gliding his way across the drizzly park with an eerie quiet around him, as if his very presence absorbed the sound around him. His long dark hair was tied back into a modest ponytail, the only color about him being his deathly pale skin and his oceanic eyes, both in color and depth. Although he was wearing only a light jacket, he seemed to be completely unaffected by the rain, barely flinching as the breeze frequently blew the rain underneath the umbrella. All in all, he seemed completely unearthly. Which was accurate, considering he was a vampire.
Elias paused as the green-tailed boy came into view, lurking in the shadow of a tree. He could see the child's trembling from here, and he felt a mild twinge of pity. He certainly hadn't wanted to condemn this poor creature to sitting in the cold and dark for so long, but he really hadn't had another option. He hadn't been expecting to be called out of the blue, nonetheless on what seemed to be a very personal request. Seeing as he couldn't exactly rush over at the time of the call, he had insisted on this meeting. He couldn't exactly help the rain.
Observations over, he slid over to Gabriel, a thin smile on his face. "'Ello. My name is Elias. You are Gabriel, yes? You called me about ballet lessons, as I recall." He sat next to the child and offered his umbrella, not responding to the rain slicking his hair. "There are things we will need to discuss. I do not usually receive private students. Let us begin with this: what sparks your sudden interest? You should not waver in your resolve; I do not train people who aspire only to be amateurs." A leaf flew into his face and he brushed away with a slight sneer, hating the weather just as much as Gabriel must have been.
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:27 pm
Gabriel's tail wrapped around him as best as it could, tapping in his lap gently. His ears and headwings were both burying themselves into his slowly dampening black hair. One of those ears twitched slightly in surprise when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, assuming that it could only be the person that he'd spoken with. After all, what other person would want to be out in the middle of the night in this kind of weather. His wings fluttered slightly, perking up from his hair just a bit. Personally, he wanted to stand and greet the other, him and his prim-and-proper suit by contrast to Gabriel's mess of an outfit; unfortunately, his legs were too numb to let him get to his feet.
A soft sigh passed his lips when it was definitely the one he'd been waiting for, the offered umbrella being taken in green-fingered hands, clung tightly to his trembling frame as though it would generate heat for the rest of him. Some part of Gabriel's uneducated mind pointed out the fact that the handle of the umbrella was completely chilled, as though it hadn't just been handed from person to person, but he disregarded that fact. After all, if this man had bad hand circulation, who was he to complain? He was... important.
"Elias. Glad you could come meet me here," Gabriel replied, voice gravelly from the cold. He cleared his throat and gave an awkward smile toward the man, hanging on to every word that came from his mouth like they were the most important words in his life ( subtracting the words 'I do' from the mouth of his beloved ). He looked almost offended at the suggestion that he would aspire to be an amateur. "I... I have no natural talent. None that would be of any use to me in the future. Ballet takes... practice. Practice is something that I can do, something that I can do endlessly. It's something that doesn't take talent, it just takes hard work. That's something I can do. But...
"I... don't exactly have the funds for private ballet lessons," he added lamely, glancing toward the ground and flicking his headwings softly against his rainbow-streaked hair, bare toes fidgeting between each other. "In the hopes that you're not the type to call CPS, between you and me, my dad's a gang leader. Essentially, my brother and I are homeless. So... we have no money, but... I'll make it up to you. Not, y'know, 'I'll do anything you want' or anything like that, but... I'm willing to work off the payments."
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:51 pm
Elias listened seriously to Gabriel's case, turning the offer over lazily in his mind. One skinny finger tapped his colorless lips thoughtfully, his eyes roaming endlessly over the boy. He certainly seemed lithe enough, and he without a doubt understood the serious nature of his proposed undertaking. He couldn't resist smirking softly at the boy's blunt admittance of his lack of talent, but raised a cool eyebrow at the assertion of his persistence. "You are correct. Ballet is eternal practice. I admire the strength of your will, but I wonder about its validity." The endlessly-old man spoke in a smooth Russian accent, with a constant veneer of something approaching boredom. "You have not been trained before. What makes you so sure that you can endure the requirements?"
When the lack of money was admitted, the raised eyebrow was joined by its brother, and Elias simply stared for a moment. There was to be no money...? What, did his number get confused with a charity organization? If he had been a more impatient man, Elias would have left that instant, but luckily for the both of them, he lingered. His stare widened a fraction as he heard about the child's home life, and when he said he was willing to 'work off' payments, the vampire's mind was starting to form a plan.
"Hm. A pitiful situation you are stuck in. I'm sorry. However, if I am to do this for you, you will pay me back. In all likelihood you will begin living in my apartment, as that will allow me to instruct you both seriously and in alliance to my... irregular schedule." The hint of a smile danced across his lips before he caught himself and continued. "My next question will be odd-sounding, but nonetheless important." He peered closely at the young boy, eyes scrutinizing his odd tail and wings. "What exactly are you, my boy? In terms of species."
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:23 pm
Bright red eyes stayed focused on the man's face the entire time, flicking across it with a distinct interest. Clueless as he was, he didn't pick up on any of the strangeness in the other male's colourless face. What little reasoning his mind still possessed assumed that the lack of colour was simply a result of the cold outside. Cold did that to people sometimes, right? Idly, in a moment of deficit attention, he glanced to his green fingertips and flexed them softly; he didn't think that his skin could really pale for something as simple as the cold. Actually, he didn't know if his skin could get much paler at all.
"Trust me, I can do it. I work a thirteen hour job during the day to help my dad pay for the rest of our 'family'; I don't sit still for a single second of that time. I can sit, doing absolutely nothing, for at least five straight hours. I will perform the same motions repeatedly for as long as I need to until I can do it perfectly," Gabriel stated, voice as stubborn and immobile as concrete. He was positive that his combination would be able to guide him through something such as ballet. It was a task that was practically made for him; doing something again and again until you've achieved perfection. "I can do this. I'm sure of it."
As soon as the words 'I'm sorry' came from the man's voice, Gabriel felt his hope crash-land on the concrete. His ears and headwings drooped lower before his hope was almost instantly renewed. Both ligaments atop his head perked straight up, red eyes widening in surprise. His tail flipped side to side softly and he leaned forward slightly, nodding quickly in anticipation. "Of course, of course. Makes complete sense. And the question isn't that strange; I get it all the time. I'm a demon-angel hybrid; made from the genetics of an angel of patience and a demon of pride."
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:36 pm
"Well. Then I suppose I have nothing to worry about," came Elias' reply, a hint of humor in the sentence as he smirked kindly at the desperate young boy. Already he was beginning to warm up to this idea. Finances and goodwill aside, the ancient creature was longing for a companion, or at least one beyond his two lazy cats. An eager and devoted live-in student was the perfect solution. He linked his fingers and placed his hands in his laps, a sign that he was pleased. "Your determination is well-placed, I see. If you can do those things, then you will likely do well."
He was equally pleased to see the boy be reasonable about his stipulations; leave it to a rough childhood to make a young one more mature. When his genetics were explained, Elias stared silently, mouth opening slightly for half a second. A demon-angel hybrid...? There was holy and tainted blood swimming through those veins, more sweet and alluring than human blood could ever hope to be. Elias' stomach almost grumbled at the thought of it, but he disguised his sudden hunger with a wet-sounding cough. "You do not say? Well, how wonderfully unique...
"Well, Gabriel, I believe that this arrangement will work," the vampire said with a soft smile as he stood, offering a dark-colored card to the youth. "Just in case, here is my workplace and a number with which you can call me at any time. I do not live far from here, if that serves as a decent frame of reference. Now, how quickly do we want this to unfold? I could make arrangements for you to be in my home within the week. What say you?" said Elias, with an eerie air of finality.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 12:15 am
Gabriel looked like the kid in the candy store, twenty dollars clutched in his fist. His heart pounded in his chest anxiously at the idea that he was actually going to be able to do this. His plan was actually going through and there was a small part of him that was nervous about that idea. The typical portion of a person that believed that now that it was happening, he wasn't sure if he could actually do it. Chances are, though, he wouldn't feel that way for long. Once he started this, proved to himself that he would be able to do it... he would feel much better.
"I'd like to think so," the man replied simply, tail flicking gently against the park bench. When the card was offered, the spawn took it, flipping it over between his contrasting fingers, red eyes flicking over the shapes that he didn't know how to piece together, as well as the numbers, which he could actually understand. So he would be able to contact him after all.
"Ah... as much as I would like to say 'the sooner the better', I... honestly didn't think that this was going to work, or at least prepared for the worst. You'd have to give me time to ease out of working, tell my dad and my brother, let my girlfriend know... I mean, I'll want to start taking classes, but I have to make arrangements otherwise before I start living there... It will probably take me at least two weeks before I'm ready to move, but I don't have too much stuff or anything, so I'll be fine on that front. I guess, umm... it would give you a chance to prepare me a room, right?" Gabriel suggested, looking a little awkward as he trembled to his feet and offered the umbrella back to the pallor man. At least, he assumed that the other didn't already have a room completely emptied out and prepared for him to live in it... unless he had grown-up kids or something.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 1:30 am
Although he attempted to appear gracious and understanding, Elias was a little ruffled by the notice that he would have to wait for his new companion to arrive. He had lived past waiting, past patience; when years flew by with every breath, time lost meaning, and waiting certainly lost any of its spice. But he knew that his reasons were, well, reasonable, so he took a deep breath and forced himself placid and understanding; an ideal mentor.
"I see. Well, I can not blame you for wanting to seal your ties with your loved ones before I, ah, spirit you away. If you want to progress as far as I believe you do, you will need to develop a work ethic that will limit social interaction severely." He nodded with a thin smile, standing without moving to retrieve his umbrella. "Two weeks sounds reasonable enough to me, yes. Please call me at that time, or whenever you are ready. Your quarters will be prepared." Elias extended his hand out towards Gabriel, eyes glimmering. "I look forward to working with you, young man."
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 6:58 pm
The surprise was obvious in Gabriel's shining red eyes when he was told that he wasn't going to be able to see his family or friends much in the coming months, ears and headwings tipping back gently. Well, he supposed that he should have expected as much, after all. But at the same time... His spiked tail curled around himself gently, one tooth poking out to bite at his lip gently. He had only just started dating Ilyrosa, only just had his first kiss with his beautiful, wonderful girlfriend... was he really willing to give that up all for a chance at perfection, a chance to make something of himself? Honestly, the young pride spawn wasn't sure if he really did want to give that up... but he didn't have much of a choice now, did he.
"Yes sir. I'll call you as soon as I've got everything tied up..." Gabriel replied, the lack of prompting for his umbrella causing the boy to completely forget that he had it. He nodded gently in response, getting to his feet and smiling softly at the other. Good Lord, he was so nervous... this was going to be such a gigantic step in his life, it really was. It was as he turned to leave that he realized he still held the umbrella in his hands. Looking surprised, he turned, hand out, mouth opening to call after the man. Yet as the water cascaded onto his head, he saw that he was the only one in the park. Elias was nowhere to be seen...
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